FOREST KINDERGARTEN

By Laura Bond S amantha Eaton

’07, ’10 never thought college was in her future. Her parents had dropped out of high school and she, too, was struggling to find her place. It all changed one day when a teacher saw something in Eaton and gave her a chance.

“I wasn’t great at applying myself in high school. I ended up in a remedial math class,” she says. “I had a great teacher who realized not only could I do math, but I was also really good at teaching the other kids how to do it. So I ended up becoming her assistant and tutoring before and after school.” Since that moment, Eaton knew she wanted to be a teacher. She finished high school and graduated with two education degrees from UTC. After researching Forest Kindergarten during college, Eaton was intrigued by the idea of taking her classroom outside and having her students learn in a self-directed, play-based natural environment. It took a few years to convince Haley Brown, the principal at Red Bank Elementary School, to give it go, but in 2016, Eaton started her own class. It was the first Forest Kindergarten of its kind in Tennessee.

Now, a typical day in Eaton’s class has students putting on their rain boots and heading to the creek located behind the school. The students spend anywhere from an hour to half of the school day outdoors learning through exploration and hands-on activities. Eaton emphasizes that Forest Kindergarten is not all child’s play. “We follow and meet the same standards that are expected of every kindergarten in the state,” she says. “One way I make the standards work is I’ll adapt what we’re doing inside the classroom to fit what they’re interested in during their outdoor time. It keeps them excited and engaged.”

Often it’s the smallest things that turn into big lessons for students. “We did a huge research project on slugs. Yes, slugs. They were so enamored with them. One day, they were building a small boat for a slug they found. They wanted him to sail around the world, but the boat immediately capsized,” she explains. “We were able to bring that back into the classroom. We did research on safe long-distance travel. They sketched designs for a new boat and made a list of what a slug would need to travel and how to protect itself from capsizing again. Forest Kindergarten is all about going with the flow and adapting their interests to the standards.”

Eaton’s students aren’t just meeting state standards, they’re also gaining new skills that will serve them long past the last school bell. “One thing other teachers are noticing about my students when compared to students in a traditional classroom is that their communication skills are better. They’re better at problem solving and conflict resolution,” she says. “Those are skills that colleges and employers are looking for and they’re naturally developed through the program. In Forest Kindergarten, students are not only outside but with each other, communicating and working together.”

Eaton has learned a lot from her students, too. “I have learned to trust them more. I’ve had to step back a little bit and trust that they will make the decisions that will keep them safe, that they will be patient with their peers and solve their own problems. It’s hard as a teacher because sometimes you just want to solve a problem, so you can move on and finish that day’s lesson plan,” she says.

Lovingly referring to herself as a “chaos coordinator,” Eaton can’t imagine doing anything else. Her passion shows. She was named one of the 2018 Teachers of the Year for the Hamilton County school system and the Forest Kindergarten program at Red Bank is flourishing, recently adding a second class. “It’s just really cool to get up every day and be surrounded by my students, and to get to know them and their quirks,” she says. “And you can’t really have a bad day when they’re so hilarious. They’re always saying something that will make me crack up. My students are my people. My crazy, loving, tiny people.”